


Tater Tots

by maigozen



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Cat, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life, cat dad, first time pet owner, kagami got a munchkin, uwu
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 18:52:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25670116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maigozen/pseuds/maigozen
Summary: On Kagami's 18th birthday, he got a cat.
Relationships: Kagami Taiga & Aomine Daiki, Kagami Taiga & Kuroko Tetsuya
Comments: 2
Kudos: 18





	Tater Tots

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have much to say other than... HAPPYBIRTHDAYKAGAMI!!! 🥳🎉 
> 
> if anyone asked me, why a cat? Idk, I just feel like it. It was based off this official art ofc and I think it's surprising there is this cute side of him. Though I still disagree with breeding munchkins, I find it adorable that Kagami specifically got a munchkin in his art. There's still time in Indonesia until today ends so, I'm technically not really late, ahaha... I hope it can still be enjoyable, so feel free to leave comments and feed and let's hype Taiga's bday together.
> 
> official art: https://anjizu.tumblr.com/post/148210339052/kurobasweek2016-day-7-free-day

On Kagami's 18th birthday, he got a cat.

Actually, he didn't plan it. It's not like he was a pet person, left alone a cat dad. Regardless of what he thought before, he would never trade Poteto with anything in this world. The fact that Kagami could even take care of Poteto was a miracle in his book. Kagami lived alone but he wasn't lonely. He didn't have a busy life per se but he did fill his time in a pretty balanced routine. He went to school, did after school practice every day, and then went home either to grab dinner, buy groceries, or play another casual round on the nearest basketball court. During the evening either he would do housework or homework and went to bed on time right before ten.

It's a pretty boring routine, especially for most high schoolers but he liked it that way because it kept him grounded and helped him focus more on basketball. So let's say it was a bumpy road when Poteto crashed into his life.

His neighbor from a few doors away probably didn't know today was his birthday when she came up to his door with a pet carrier. She smiled through a sweat covered face that melted her make-up. She was wearing tight mom jeans and her dusty pink blouse was stained with markers at the edge. She seemed busy.

"Kagami-kun! Thank god you're here. Can I come in?"

Taiga didn't usually have his neighbors come—who had a reason to deal with some teenagers who live alone?—but Taiga remembered she was one of the ones who visited his home the first night he arrived with a container of homemade curry so he let her in, with an awkward shrug. She flapped her hot face and sighed as the air conditioner from the living room basked her with its cool air. Kagami entered and peered at the pet carrier, wondering if it's a dog.

"Oh, it felt so nice. Sorry for the intrusion but I was very busy." She sat on his sofa and Kagami took a chair out of his table. She continued, "You see, we are preparing to move out to Belgium in two days and my husband and I are very busy. I still have some packing to do but first, Kagami-kun, I want to ask you something."

Kagami raised his brow, feeling fishy about where this conversation headed. He stalled, "oh, do you want me to help carry all the stuff you had or..."

"Oh no, I've contacted a moving crew, don't worry about that. That's not what I came here for," she lifted the pet carrier and put it on his coffee table, the weight made the glass hit with a thud. "Good thing our landlord allowed pets but when we moved we wouldn't know if our new landlord would let us right? And the cost to take care of him is going to be expensive but I don't have the heart to leave him on the streets or a shelter, see? He's pretty expensive—a full breed, you know—and gentle, I keep hearing bad things..." her voice trailed when she saw Kagami's unsure look. The high schooler glanced down, looking like he's trying to find the right word to object her. "Ah, have you ever had a pet before?"

Kagami rubbed his neck slowly, "no... I don't really like dogs so I just..."

"Oh, he's not a dog!" she brightened, "good news, he's a cat! An adorable seven months old munchkin to be exact!" Kagami opened his mouth to correct her but she already tugged the slot of his carrier door and turned the carrier to face him. Kagami felt his sweat drop as he watched a blob of fur hiding on the corner of the carrier. "Cats tend to be really shy, he's probably thinking he's in the vet. But don't worry, he's harmless. Right, Koko?"

"I—" Kagami bit his lips, watched as his neighbor made a ckckck noise to lure the cat out/ She also smacked the carrier a few times, the noise made Kagami cringe. "Look, I'm sorry, but I just never had a pet before and I don't think I can take care of one."

"Aw, really? Won't you consider once you see how he looks? Munchkins are really popular, you know. Koko even won five pet contests in a row," Kagami wanted to say that he didn't care about all that but his words stuck as he saw a short cat with striped fur. Kagami squinted his eyes, despite the proximity. The cat's short hair shaped the round face and a pair of big eyes stared in alarm before he started sticking his nose up and sniffing the unfamiliar air. Kagami watched as his ears flickered a few times before he scurried his little leggies back to the carrier.

Kagami stared blankly at the pair of golden eyes that stared back at him.

He looked up to see his neighbor smiling wide, at him like a mouse caught in a trap. He furrowed his branched brows and stood up, saw from the corner of his eyes as the cat startled. "Wait, I'm still not going to--"

"Please, Kagami-kun, _please..._ " Kagami startled at the hand clenching his biceps, his neighbor's voice rose. "It's been two weeks since I asked around the apartment but nobody will accept it, I offered them half the price of Koko but nobody still wanted him. I've come to the conclusion he's too expensive. I'll let you pay only 10%. So, please, your dad is a consultant, right? I'll even give you Koko's supplies--"

"Ma'am, _please--"_

"For free? How about you just pay for his cage, then. _Please_ our flight is in two days! Try-" she frantically shoved her hands inside the carrier, tugging at the cat roughly until he was squirming on her arms. "Try carrying him, I'm sure you can, right? Boys tend to play with cats, anyway."

Kagami tsked as he hurriedly took the cat to his arm. The cat froze once he was carried on his back, staring back at Kagami with his big eyes. Kagami was surprised as he watched closely at four of his legs. _They really are short._ Kagami scrunched his nose in confusion because in a few seconds, the cat started thrashing on his arms trying to jump up with his front paws but could not reach enough to flip his little body. He managed to slither down Kagami's arms and as Kagami bent down in worry, the cat already ran to the nearest opened room. Kagami looked up at his neighbor and saw her indifferent stare.

"Ah, he went in," she pointed out.

Kagami sighed long and hard, "fine. _Fine._ I'll let my dad know." his eye twitched at her bright smile, "but I'll take the cage offer. Do you have an account we could send the money to? How much was it?" he glanced at the room the cat just entered, which was his room.

She waved her hand, "oh, of course, don't worry about that. It's pretty easy. Taking care of cats is also easy. Koko's short hair, it wouldn't be hard to groom or you can just toss him to a grooming service, anyway." Kagami wanted to say that it's still going to be a hassle but his neighbor already decided to walk to the genkan, "well, I better get going, I need to finish up. Thank you so much, Kagami-kun. Young people are so generous!"

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered, opening the door and letting her out.

"Oh, but just one thing I haven't told you, since he's short, sometimes his legs tire out easily."

"What?? Like a disease or something...?"

"Just--arthritis, don't worry. Bye, Kagami-kun! My husband will bring the cage and supplies later tonight. We'll also send you a postcard or something to you or your dad when we get to Antwerp."

.

* * *

.

So that's how it is.

Later that evening, Kagami spent a good fifteen minutes sitting on his couch cradling his head in regret. He sighed. The carrier was still on the table and the cat still wouldn't come out. Kagami entered his room. It's a bit messy when it's been so long since people visit his home. He peered behind his door, took his dirty clothes from the ground. He peered inside his open closet, found nothing but arrays of black t-shirts, jeans, and sweats. He peered down his bed while shrugging off the cables from his desk lamp and chargers until he found him staring back with wide eyes at him under the bed. Kagami reached out and made a ckckck sound, asking the cat to go out. As his long arms came close to his face, he heard a hiss. Figures.

Kagami stood up and decided to take out his phone. A munchkin, huh? And he has arthritis? Holy shit. How old is he? He forgot to ask. Actually, there were so many things he wanted to ask but he's sure his neighbor would try to not discourage him. Ugh.

Kagami took the time to read through a wiki about munchkins while cleaning his stuff. Ugh, since when was there so much stuff in his room? he barely used it. Kagami took his gym bag and dumped the inside on his bed. Stuff clattered out and some of them fell, something rolling out and Kagami shouted as something swiped past his leg. He looked down to see the cat, now crowding something in the corner of his room.

That something was apparently a basketball keychain that he got from a gashapon machine he and the other first years went to in Akihabara. He raised his brow and stood still as he watched the cat roll the ball-like object and peered from right to left as if he was not feeling threatened just a second ago. Kagami knew cats tend to be on high alert so he crouched down slowly, reaching for the ball. "K-Koko..."

The cat backed out fast so Kagami hurriedly dangled the small bright orange object in front of him. The cat's pupils dilated and reached out. Kagami tugged it up, watched as Koko wiggled his butt before jumping up. Kagami snorted.

Koko's mouth opened and let out a small chirping noise, still reaching out for the ball. Before Kagami realized, he smiled. "Come and get it, Koko."

Koko startled at the voice and ran off from his room. Kagami shouted, "wait!" and sighed. Ah, he'll get used to it. He stood up to finish cleaning his gym bag before he heard his doorbell rang. Kagami sighed and let his neighbor put the big ass cage, along with the litter box and a paper bag filled with toys. Another thought crashed down on him, that reminder that he was a teenager suddenly handed to him a living creature.

"You know, this is a good deal, Taiga-kun," his neighbor said, dusting his thigh. Kagami frowned.

"He's not even around, I don't think he likes it here."

"Oh, don't worry, cats tend to be like that. When he's bold enough, he won't even come to you first and start sniffing around getting familiar with the place. When he gave you his belly, that's when you know he welcomes you. We're used to leaving Koko alone in the apartment for weeks, cats are that good with being alone."

"...huh."

Kagami followed what his neighbor said and decided to let the cat do what he wanted for the rest of the night. He took the cat bowls and filled them with the leftover food from Koko's former owner and water to drink. He put them somewhere strategic so he wouldn't accidentally step on it and decide to take a shower and hit the hay.

Around ten, when he was about to drift off, he heard scratching noises from his door. Kagami startled, tucking his legs close to his body as a shiver ran down his body. The noise continued with a distant meowing and Kagami slapped his forehead. Oh, right, the cat. Grumbling, he opened his door and Koko entered the room practically zoomed in and hopped on the bed, despite his height. Kagami watched as the cat curled into a ball on the edge of the bed and sighed. He was about to close the door but realized the litter box was in the living room.

_Guess I won't be closing this door for a while._ The thought spooked him a little, his bed facing the dim-lit hall making him imagine things he did not want to elaborate. He decided to ignore his wild thoughts and proceed to slip himself under the cover, Koko sat up and slipped his legs under his body, looking like a bread loaf. The thought made him laugh and a bit hungry. He watched with caution as he scooted his big body more to the side of the bed, didn't want Koko to not have enough space, and let the cat stare at him with his blank judgy eyes. He sighed slowly, letting himself relax in the cramped space. He moved around a bit, trying to make as little movement as possible and as he finally found sleep coating his brain, he saw Koko's now blurry figure morphing into a furball. He purred low and despite Kagami's ruckus, he still won't walk away.

_Guess you're not_ that _good at being alone._

_._

* * *

.

The next day Kagami woke up with no Koko on his bed and he panicked a little bit. But then he heard a loud meowing from the hall. He came rushing in worry only to find Koko staring back at him with wide horrified eyes before running off. He frowned and turned back to take a shower and prepare to go to school when he got a text from his dad asking to post a picture of the cat. Kagami couldn't even go near him when he tried to lure him with a mini basketball from a kid-sized hoop he got for when _some_ stray basketball player decided to play basketball in his apartment hall. He only managed to get some blurry shots from under his bookshelf, but when he was wearing his shoes on the genkan, he could hear a small thud where the ball hit the wall.

His dad reminded him to take him to the vet and Kagami, now in a bad mood, decided to ask someone who sort of knew how to deal with a pet when he finally went to school. Well, it's not like dogs and cats are different. Kuroko would probably got a kick out of this though. He could just imagine the blank dead fish eye lit up.

"How do you take care of Nigou?"

Kuroko blinked up from sharpening his pencil. "...what? Has Kagami-kun finally come to love Nigou?"

"Yeah, no. I'm just—" he held a sigh down his throat, he rolled his eyes and propped his back to the wall. "I got a cat."

"You got a cat..."

"That's what I said," Kagami furrowed his brows in irritation, "so yeah, I'm gonna need your help to figure it out. Also, can you come to the vet with me after practice?"

"When did you... was it yesterday? Since a few days ago I don't remember seeing any cats in your apartment." Kagami propped his arms on the head of his chair, lifting his brow to agree, "hmmm... was it a gift from someone?"

"Nah, my neighbor wouldn't know it's my birthday. She said she's moving out to Antwerp and was asking around who wants to take care of Koko. Don't get me wrong, I didn't want to at first but she's really persistent. The cat was a munchkin, I didn't even know it was a thing. He looks like a tabby but with really short legs. Apparently it's a genetic defect, some fucked up breeders decided to sell them off and made them a thing. Anyway, will you help me or not? Nigou sleeps in our school but you usually bring him home, right? You probably know a thing or two about taking care of a pet."

Kuroko smiled at his anxious face, "well, a little bit, yeah. Can I see what he looks like? Munchkins are really popular. It surprises me more to the fact that you didn't even know. You're really a basketball head."

Kagami glared but still took out his phone. "Shut up! These aren't that good, I can't come near him at all. He slept on my bed last night though."

"That's..." Kuroko's face was as stiff as a stone but his eyes shook and his pupils dilated. His voice a half-whisper, "he slept with you last night? That's really... sorry, Kagami-kun, that's really cute, Kagami-kun."

"Geh... you're really..." Kagami cringed, "I can practically see flowers and hearts flying around. Can you stop? It's gross."

Kuroko took the phone off from Kagami's hand despite Kagami's protest. He tapped the share button and sent the pictures to his email. He smiled, "Kagami-kun... I just didn't expect you to have a soft side in you."

"Very funny."

.

* * *

.

"Some cats are sensitive." Kagami and Kuroko glanced at each other. The doctor continued, "well, it's more complicated than that, but I assume you haven't held your new cat, do you? Any weird behavior you have noticed?"

Kagami rubbed his neck, feeling small and out of place. "He meows a lot in the morning and when I try to check on him he keeps running away."

"I see..." The doctor pushed his glasses and Koko, which was held between the nurse's arms, flinched when the doctor rubbed his head. He smiled, "that's not an odd behavior for a new cat. I was thinking if he didn't eat properly or mope around not wanting to play. Though, I would still prescribe you with the pain relief and joint supplement. He's still so young, I hope he'll grow strong. "

Kagami nodded quietly, "t-thanks. Er, no, he tends to play on his own."

"That's very nice, but as a new owner, having a pet is not like owning a toy or a plushie or some antique. They want you to engage with them." He peered, "have you chosen a name for him yet?"

"Uh... no..."

"Well, you can start by that."

.

* * *

.

A few days later, on laundry day and as Kagami hauled all of his sweaty after practice clothes, he noticed Koko entered the laundry room. Must be because of the noise his washing machine made. He crept close to the pile of today's practice clothes and as Kagami was about to snatch them away from him, scared he might piss on it, Koko started sniffing closer and closer. He started rubbing his face on it--he's been doing that a lot--and... Kagami had to film it because he didn't understand why his cat flopped on the bed of sweaty gym clothes and started rubbing his face on them frantically, his smol feet kicking the clothes repeatedly. Kagami sent them to Kuroko:

_WHAT IS HE DOING_

Kuroko: _Sometimes Nigou do that too, they like the scent, I guess. Maybe that way he'll familiarize with you faster_

Kuroko: _Kagami-kun, you sound very funny_

Me: _I was yelling in panic_

Kuroko: _Really? I can practically see the plea and crying emojis, also the variations of hearts emojis around you_

Me: ...

Me: _Oh, fuck off_

_._

* * *

.

It's been five days since Koko became a new resident in the Kagami household, he still didn't like getting held, Kagami didn't even know how to hold a cat so at some point he had to watch a youtube tutorial. On top of that, he tried balancing his time hanging out after practice to feed Koko since he just realized that the cat, despite mostly hiding and playing under Kagami's nose, ate and slept like clockwork. He also made a habit of sleeping on the edge of the bed and woke up in the middle of the night to play around. Sometimes, when Kagami was too tired to sleep properly, he kicked Koko out of bed which woke him up, yet the cat still insisted on sleeping by the edge of his bed despite the cat bed Kagami provided on the side of the bed.

The mention of a name came when Kagami was baking some veggies for dinner. "Got a name I can use? I don't feel like using Koko anymore."

"Hmm... any name relating to light? Or should it be Tiger because of his stripes?" Kagami snorted, while laying on his stomach as his hand dangled a toy feather from the couch arm, Koko's paws tugging grappling on them. "Tiger and Taiga."

"Idiot, then he'll think he got called when it was supposed to be me--" Kagami jolted, feeling the string tugged tight as Koko finally caught the feather on his mouth. Kagami let go as he sniffed the air and sat up, "Oh!"

"What is it, Kagami-kun? Have you thought of something?"

"No! Fuck, my dinner!" he was so caught up. He opened his oven's door and cringed at the dark burnt potato. The surface was clawed from his knife so the seasoning could seep into the skin but, well, it did not look edible at all. The color of what used to be earthy brown now a black crisp.

He sighed and decided to just fry some frozen gyoza or something when his eyes lingered on the peaking cat on the side of the kitchen, only half of his body visible. It's a bit hilarious since he didn't need to peak but then an idea popped into his head.

"...Poteto."

.

* * *

.

Kagami was avoiding him.

That he concluded. This was weird because though he knew he was a jerk, Kagami didn't have a particular reason to avoid Aomine. Maybe it was because he missed not saying anything regarding Kagami's birthday but then it made more sense now he had to be persistent to ask for a one-on-one with Seirin's ace. But Kagami had said ' _no, sorry, have things to do'_ when Aomine knew from Tetsu that Seirin didn't have practice that day because it was a Friday. It made Aomine a bit irritated and a little bit worried, so when he kept getting rejected the third time he decided to haul his lazy ass up from his bed and came to the fancy Shibuya apartment block.

Me: _what made you so busy, tetsu said you guys dont have training today_

Kagami: _how are u so persistent ugh_

Kagami: _i have other things to do_

Me: _since when? Your a basketball idiot_

He didn't get an answer and he partly regretted provoking the redhead. It didn't matter, though, because as he hopped out of the bus and entered the building, he knew Kagami wouldn't say no.

He rang the doorbell, heard nothing. He rang the doorbell a few times until he heard a shout from behind. "Who is iiit?? I told you I don't want newspaper subscript--" he was met with a pair of wide blazing maroon eyes as the redhead opened the door. Aomine opened his mouth but before he could utter a word, the door closed.

"What the hell?!" Aomine yelled in annoyance.

Kagami yelled back, the voice muffled by the thick door. "W-What are you doing?! Isn't your house far from here??!"

Didn't answer, Aomine banged the door. "Bakagami, are you avoiding me??"

"Why would I do that, dumbass?!!"

"Then fucking open the door!!" He banged and pushed the doorbell a few times until a head popped out of one of the apartment doors and Aomine stopped. He yell-whispered, "fuck... the hell did I do, come on..."

Kagami seemed to realize they were disturbing the neighbors so he lowered his volume. Aomine could hear a tint of shame, "promise me you won't laugh."

"The hell...? Fine, whatever, just open the door."

The door finally opened and a stern-faced Kagami Taiga glared at him. "Come in," Aomine entered with a small _pardon_ and whistled, looking around with nonchalance and a hint of suspicion. "Don't bother trying to find something, he's right there."

Aomine raised a brow and peered behind Kagami's shoulder... only to find a kitten crouching at something under the couch. He bit his lips because... he honestly didn't peg Kagami to play with kittens. But his attention was averted as the kitten--he's a cat apparently--stood on all four and four short leggies carried the big body of a short-haired striped cat. His big round head turned as he heard Kagami approach. It's a munchkin, Aomine noticed, now paddling around Kagami's legs making number 8. The cat has a smol meow, not like the strays Aomine knew around his neighborhood, and was rubbing Kagami's calf. Kagami picked him up and in a few seconds, the cat squirmed and ran off.

But it gave Aomine a premium rare blackmail material of Kagami quietly cradling a munchkin cat. Kagami noticed his quiet demeanor and turned with hasty eyes. Aomine shrugged. "So? A lot of people have pets."

Kagami rubbed his red neck in embarrassment, avoiding his gaze. "It's not like I've had it before. These are all fairly new to me and I'm still clueless."

Aomine snorted this time, earning a glare. "Yeah, it's always like that. Chill, I've had a husky before and Satsuki has a few dogs. I'm more of a dog person, sure, but I get how it feels owning a pet for the first time."

Kagami looked up with hopeful bright red eyes, "thanks. For not judging me."

Aomine glanced around, shrugging. But then he snorted at the array of toys. "It's like a daycare here," ignoring Kagami's shout of 'shut up', he then crouched down and rattled a toy mouse as he spotted the shortie. "Ckckck, c'mere. Hmm, didn't peg you to have such a breed, to be honest."

Kagami rolled his eyes at the chuckle, "give it up, he won't like a stranger."

"Nah, you're just not trying hard enough. Crouch down." Aomine sat on his floor, taking a toy rod with the feather tip. He flicked it a few times. Kagami watched as he mimicked a small animal instead of the aimless shake he used to do, thinking it'll be enough to catch the cat's attention. Aomine waited as the feather fell a few centimeters in front of Poteto and when Poteto did the dilated pupils and butt shake, Kagami knew the boy had caught the cat. Poteto jumped at the feather, where Aomine quickly tugged the string closer, followed by Poteto jumping and smacking the feather with his small paw. Aomine glanced at the owner of said cat, now watching in fascination as Poteto wrestled the small feather toy. "Here, touch this part. Cats loved it."

Aomine reached slowly to the now on guard cat. Poteto sniffed at Aomine's finger before Aomine slipped his pointer finger and middle finger under his chin and jaw, rubbing it. The cat craned his neck more for access and Kagami blinked as the cat was now pliant under his rival's hand. He could hear the heavy purring and Kagami frowned. "Yeah okay, let me try." Kagami reached with a shaky hand and flicked Aomine's fingers away, now replacing them with his. Potato seemed to love it and Kagami was surprised as Poteto just... licked his finger.

"No way, he's grooming you," Aomine snorted, taking his drawstring bag off his back and laid down, propping his body on one elbow.

"He what...?"

"The thing cats did to clean themselves, dumbass. They also do that to show affection. He liked you." Kagami glared at his rival, but continued. Now massaging the crown of Poteto's head.

"But he haven't shown his stomach yet, he doesn't--" Poteto's pupils were blown and he suddenly rolled on his back, curling into a c as he gave Kagami his white belly. His smol leggies sticking up, showing his toe beans. Kagami widened his eyes and reached, shaking the stomach with his wide palms and hearing the purring turned louder.

Aomine spat a laugh and shook his head, "you look like you were staring at a mountain of maji burgers."

Kagami shut his widened mouth and relaxed his face, snorting, "that sounds so fucked up."

Aomine made a loud yawn and lay fully on his back, stretching. Kagami watched as Poteto did the same and the two curled as Aomine scratched his belly. "Haah, I guess we don't have to play one-on-one."

Kagami blinked and propped his back on the leg of his sofa. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. You shoulda listen to me when I say I can't do it. Damn it, Aomine, it's gonna be dark soon don't you have school tomorrow?"

"It's Friday, fuck off. Besides," he sat up and tugged at his drawstring bag, "that's not really why I'm here." Aomine took a small package on his bag, something wrapped in wine-colored cellophane wrap, tied in navy blue ribbon. Kagami widened his eyes. Aomine slid the gift to him, his gaze down and voice low. "Here. Sorry for the belated gift."

Kagami took the small gift on his hands, a small smirk tug on his lips. "I can't believe you guys gave me presents." Aomine raised a brow, a little irritated. "Kise sent me a gift, Midorima, even Murasakibara and Akashi. Tch, I thought you guys hated me." Kagami threw his head back with a small breathy laugh. Kagami glanced at his rival, now looking out of place. "Though, I mostly didn't expect you, so it's... actually really nice of you. Thanks." Kagami opened the gift only to find a box of brand new running headphones. He smiled widely.

"Yeah, it's nothing. Satsuki was the one who suggested it." Aomine watched as Poteto, now curling into a sphere, slept quietly. He reached out to rub the area between the cat's eyes with his thumb slowly. "Though, if I knew this, I could've bought him a collar."

"Oh..." Kagami looked down at his cat, purring in his sleep under Aomine's heavy thumb massage. He chuckled, "nah, you don't have to."

"Yeah, I think he looks good with blue instead of red, you know." Kagami scowled at him.

"First you want to take Nigou, now my cat. Get your own cat."

"What? I'm just too charming for cats and dogs to swoon over me. Besides, what's his name, anyway?"

Kagami gulped, "Poteto."

Aomine's roaring laugh definitely woke the cat up to the point Kagami had to thwack his rival's head with his gift.

.

* * *

.

Things went smoothly so far. It's more of an added chore in Kagami's book. From grooming to bathing, and feeding. At some point it exhausted him and he had to inform everyone. He had more errands now but he didn't mind. His dad actually seemed supportive when he finally saw Poteto curling on Kagami's lap as he studied. But of course, sooner or later Poteto's arthritis acted up especially during fall when the temperature drops. Kagami didn't even realize it's been months since Poteto arrived.

At first it was the isolation. Poteto kept hiding under his bed until night time and though Kagami got used to the sort of mood swing like attitude, he noticed his food was untouched since the morning. Kagami knew he actually didn't like Poteto not eating fresh food during noon, but cats mostly didn't eat much and were asleep most of the time. But even when he called and shook the dry food on the cat bowl while walking around the hallway, Poteto didn't respond. He peered under the bed to see his cat, wide shot eyes, breathing heavily.

In a whirl of panic, Kagami reached out and cradled the cat which moaned in pain and immediately slither down. But as he was standing on all four, he wobbled and flopped. His eyes blinked slowly. Kagami immediately prepared his carrier and covered the bottom with a towel, carefully putting his cat inside. Poteto moaned weakly on the way to the vet. Kagami cursed himself for taking the bus instead of hauling a cab.

During the doctor's visit, the doctor prescribed him with some anti-inflammatory drugs. The doctor advised him to keep his legs warm but not constricting, try to not let him jump a lot, etc. Kagami went home with an Uber, feeling frazzled and dazed. Poteto was asleep after he got a shot of pain killer and Kagami watched the nightscape of Tokyo playing before his eyes.

.

* * *

.

He remembered it like yesterday, despite the memory already buried fifteen meters under. Kagami liked cats.

He had always preferred cats. He also had a bad omen since the Doberman this couple from across the street had kept glaring at him whenever he got out of his house to play basketball. Kagami shrugged it off as a guard dog thing so he didn't know when the door from his neighbor's lawn was unhinged and before he could run, he saw the looming figure of the tall dog breathing heavily. Kagami just went back from playing basketball, too busy looking at his new metallic ring.

But cats barely hurt him, he knew kids who were afraid of cats. But what he knew was that they provoked them and got a scratch on the face for pulling at its tail or something. So when there was a young energetic brown tabby following an orange ball, Kagami was delighted to play with the stray. He would always come to the court on Himuro's block, despite being farther than the court near his house and fed him a part of his burger patty, bread, anything he brought that day.

But one day, the cat was gone.

Kagami didn't seem like a crier now but he definitely was before. He was around nine so of course, he went bawling to Alex. It happened when he got bit by a dog and when he scraped his knees learning how to bike. His chubby cheeks bunched up and as red as a tomato, big fat tears fell as Kagami asked Alex, "where is Milo? I wanna see Milo!"

He had considered taking him home but he knew his parents won't let him. Alex was sushing him and rubbing his back, speaking with a low tone. "It's okay, honey, We'll get you a new one, how about that?"

"I don't want to! It's different! I wanna see Milo..." Kagami yelled and Alex's surprised expression made him look down in shame. Kagami was never one to show immaturity or so he was expected. Himuro behind him looked troubled and spoke unsurely,

"Didn't the old guy next door say it got run over by a car? I didn't see it but he said some folks buried a cat in the empty field today."

"Waaah...." Kagami cried harder, couldn't stop, and couldn't care less about the streetball players who were crowding him. Alex crouched down, wiping his tears with her thumb.

"Listen, Taiga, listen to me. Animals die just like people. But the memories won't. I promise you'll get a chance to have your cat as special as Milo, okay?" Taiga slowed down, now a low hiccuping sob. Alex took both his hands, "I promise you. If you love something and you want to protect that thing, you'll find your way to it again."

.

* * *

.

The next day, Kagami found himself greeted by his team--despite his annoyance--and as he was about to kick them out, his captain spoke up. "Kagami! I heard Poteto-chan is sick! We are here to help you out."

"What the fuck." Kagami stared flatly. He looked at the uniform eager look on his senpais and yearmates and realized too late that they brought a bunch of stuff on a plastic bag. Kagami rubbed his face, "no-no, he doesn't need to. I already gave his medication and cats wouldn't like the commotion."

"But we took care of Nigou too when he got sick..." Koganei-senpai's shoulders drooped.

Kagami sighed but his coach shrugged her shoes off. "Ugh, it's still fine, isn't it? Where is he? We could help you for a bit and make sure you did a decent job of taking care of him. We got dry food and wet food, some toys too. Potetoooo..."

"Fuck, not too loud!" Kagami yell-whispered, hurriedly following behind. The rest of Seirin entered and Kagami watched in anxious as Riko peered at his cat, which was only looking up, still curling into a ball. He just took his medicine so he might be sleepy. Kagami had turned his sofa into a cat fortress, rolling out his dad's expensive carpet and started making makeshift steps to places he might like to be but were hard to reach. "Look, see, he's way better than before and he doesn't need toys. I'm trying to cut down his playtime so he doesn't hurt his joints."

Kuroko crept close and put a hand on his shoulder, "we're sorry, Kagami-kun. We'll just drop these items off then you and Poteto can rest," Kuroko reached down, gently letting Poteto nuzzled his knuckles. He spoke softly, "we're sorry, Poteto-chan. I hope tomorrow will be warmer so you'll get better sooner."

"Right, right, okay get out of my apartment, please." Kagami growled, he hurriedly moved the plastic bags to his kitchen counter and made shoo-ing motions. "Thanks so much for the gifts but my cat really needed to rest so--"

The side of his head throbbed as Hyuuga bonked him, "Dumbass, we're just looking out for you, don't be so full of yourself." Kagami glared at them but as he waited for them all to exit his apartment, he couldn't help but smile. He could hear the distant chattering of his teammates,

"I can't believe Kagami could be such a cat dad."

"You know what they say, he's Taiga taking care of his cub."

"Shut up, Izuki."

.

* * *

.

The next morning, Kagami woke up feeling warm and heavy around his chest. He realized that the temperature changed as the soft glow from the sun shone through his blinds, illuminating Poteto's smol figure... now lying flat on his chest. Kagami chuckled, rubbing the area behind his ear. His fingers trailed on the navy blue collar that he forgot to take off last night due to exhaustion from the commotion his teammates gave. He let it go as Poteto craned his neck and purred, rubbing his side on Kagami's palm. "You seem to be in a better mood," he muttered with a hoarse voice. "Oh, wow. Maybe we should get breakfast first?"

Poteto ignored him and started rolling down on his side, showing his belly. Kagami scooted away, afraid to crush him with his weight and started rubbing his stomach. As he ran his hand on Poteto's short striped fur, he thought, he was the best birthday present ever.

**.**

**end.**

* * *

bonus pic, this chibi ver where kagami carries his cat like a baby

**Author's Note:**

> hmu at  
> twitter: maigozen  
> tumblr: maigozen.tumblr.com


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